Every week we aim to re home an animal currently being cared for by an animal refuge on the island. The project is supported by professional photographers from around the island, the PR firm Phoenix Media, and The Majorca Daily Bulletin.

by VM

It’s Springtime in Majorca. That means blossom, and pollen, and sunshine and blue skies, Easter and … kittens, plenty of kittens. It means kittens born to street cats and family cats that often end up being dumped in the bin. So please, you must keep an eye, and an ear, on the public bins, and random boxes left in car parks or on the side of the road.

If you find some newly born kittens what should you do? Have they been dumped or are they street cats whose mother has gone off to get some food? Here’s some advice from an experienced cat rescuer, Cati Salva.

“If you see kittens inside a box next to a rubbish bin it’s clear that they have been abandoned. It is not so clear if you find them somewhere odd (a plant pot, or in the middle of the street). In this case I advise people to do this:
1) Don’t ever touch them. It could happen that the mum is moving them from one place to another and if they catch your scent some mother cats will reject their babies.
2) Watch from a distance. Stay around somewhere where you can see the kittens but are not scaring the mum in case she comes back for her kittens.
3) If you don’t see any adult cat around in about 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how busy the area is) then yes, you may go ahead and take them because the mum is most likely not coming back for them. Something might have happened or not, but a baby cat can’t stay for long without the warmth of its mother.

“If you take them home you have to keep them separate from your other cats if you happen to have any. This is extremely important. Even if they seem healthy they could have a stomach bug or some other ailments and you need to protect both your own animals and the babies.

“Things vary from caring for a four month old kitten or a new born. The older kittens will have wide open eyes, sharp teeth and be quite mobile creatures. They will most likely be eating by themselves. You can soak some dry cat biscuits in water and see if they will eat. Younger kittens need to be bottle fed. Their eyes will be open at 15 days of age but they won’t be able to move around very easily. If you are unsure as to the age of the kittens then take a visit to a vet to make sure.

“If you are bottle feeding kittens the most important thing is to keep them warm. Until they are a bit older they can’t control their body temperature so they have to have blankets. I usually use one of those electrical pillows on a low setting to keep them warm enough (be sure you’re not burning them of course!). Make sure the electrical cable is tucked away and put a cloth on top of the device to avoid warm plastic on their skin.

“Another very important thing is: no, cats can’t drink cows’ milk! Not even lactose free cows’ milk. They have to have special cat milk which can be bought at the vets and most pet shops. There are a lot of brands and it doesn’t matter which one you chose as long as you don’t change it once you have started. Baby stomachs are quite delicate and sudden feeding changes may cause diarrhoea and subsequent dehydration.

“To feed them, prepare the formula as indicated and use a baby cat bottle. Some cats don’t latch on to bottles at first, so you have to be persistent and patient. Sometimes they can’t get the milk out, so you may squeeze the tip a bit (or make the hole slightly bigger) so they get to taste one or two drops and get motivated to suck themselves. Some other cats don’t like bottles and people feed them with small (needle free) syringes, but this is dangerous as you could accidentally place milk into their lungs. They should never be placed belly up like human babies It is ideal if they can eat on their paws in a hard surface (you can put a blanket in between). Just think about how the kittens would feed from their mums: that’s the ideal position. After their meal the babies need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate. If they were with mum then she would usually lick their bottoms. You don’t have to do that! Instead you could use a piece of wet, mildly warm gauze and wipe the area.

“You should expect them to be hungry every 2 to 3 hours at first. Yes, it’s just like having a human baby and can be super tiring work. You can try to make the “night feeds” a bit more substantial by making a slightly thicker formula, but don’t overdo it. The kittens may need bottle feeding up until around six weeks of age. Sometimes they eat at four weeks, but some others don’t. Some vets advise to give the kittens chamomile between feeds and others tell you to prepare the formula with chamomile instead of water. That is completely up to you.

“If you can’t be in charge of the feedings because you work, ask your local vet if they know of anyone that could. They can’t take them into shelters because most of them are not open 24 hours a day, but sometimes they know volunteers that can take them home”.

Every week Pet Project tries to help an animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com.

by VM

The dreaded processionary caterpillars are already hatching! One conscientious pet owner came into CalviaVet last week asking for advice on how to protect her cats from the perils of the hairy pests.

“I know someone whose dog had to have half its tongue removed after it ate a processinary catepillar,” she explained, “so I thought I should come in and get advice directly I saw the first one in my garden.

“The catepillars are particularly dangerous for dogs because they are more likely to try and eat them than cats are,” Dr. Juan Fernandez agreed, “but they can also cause serious skin problems for cats. Although there are pills that can be given after a pet has encountered a processionary catepillar, these take time to work. Some animals can experience serious allergic reactions, so it’s important to call immediately you see your pet has been affected, and then it can receive an intravenous injection of cortisone as quickly as possible.”

Another increased danger for some pets caused by our mild weather, is mosquitoes. These carry the devastating disease of Leishmania which annually infects hundreds of Majorcan dogs.

“Leishmania is hardly known of in Northern Europe, so many expatriates don’t realise that they need to protect their dog,” Dr. Anna Pink of CalviaVet confirmed. “It is a tropical disease spread by the tiny sand fly mosquito and works in a similar way to an autoimmune disease. It can affect all the organs of the body, but is often first picked up from skin eruptions or fast growing nails. Like malaria, it can lie dormant within an animal for a time before recurring in flare-ups.

“It’s impossible to over-stress how important it is to protect dogs from Leishmania; ironically everyone is aware that their pet should have an annual rabies vaccination, even though the island is rabies-free, but many don’t know Leishmania exists, yet it is common throughout the island,” Dr. Pink said.

Other pet diseases spread by mosquitos include Heartworm, but this is rare on the island and to date the only reported cases have been in the North. Ticks can infect animals with Anaplasmosis which causes blood clotting problems and joint pain, but this is curable with a special antibiotic.

Our unusual weather this winter has also caused the flea population to continue breeding. “Our sales of products which rid your pet and home of fleas are usually far less after November … but not this year!” Dr Pink commented.

While we may all be enjoying the clear blue skies and balmy temperatures, this long Indian summer means we need to be abnormally vigilant that our furry friends don’t fall foul of a non-dormant insect population. It is the time of year when many pet owners love rambling through the woods and mountains of our beautiful island, but we already need to keep an eye out for catepillars and take precautions against mosquitos to keep them safe. (Thanks to Calvia Vet for their report).

DULCE BY NAME, DULCE BY NATURE

Dulce rushed up with 3 other wagging dogs to say hello to the visitors who wiggled their fingers through the fencing of their kennel, but as the other dogs raced away to sniff a new diversion, Dulce stayed and continued wagging at them. It was a clear invitation to come on in and say hello.

Dulce loves to be stroked and cuddled, but above all else she wants to be noticed, something that rarely happens to this truly deserving dog. Perhaps that´s because Dulce is now 8 years old, greying slightly at the muzzle and weighing in at around 25 kg. She waddles a little – it´s quite funny – but she is surprisingly agile, still able to jump onto a high wall to soak up the sun´s winter rays.

Dulce has remained un-noticed at the SPAP shelter for around 6 years. People walk past her looking for younger or smaller models, failing to spot that Dulce will make a super, loving companion dog. She´ll be attentive, happy to sit by your side or go out on walks, and she gets on well with children and other dogs.

Pop down to SPAP and ask to visit Dulce. You can take your time to get to know her, to notice those gentle brown eyes, to rub your hands through her thick coat and give her a tummy rub. She loves that. Dulce is the type of dog who will repay your kindness with years of devotion, if you would just adopt her.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at www.petprojectmallorca.com All offers of help gratefully received!

by petprojectmallorca

There have been a lot of reports recently about the bad conditions and care of animals at the cat and dog pound based at Natura Parc in Santa Eugenia. In the interests of unbiased reporting I went along to see the conditions for myself last week. I didn’t announce that I was from a newspaper but instead told them that I was enquiring about adopting either a rabbit or a cat. I have to say I didn’t feel very comfortable about it, I guess I won’t make the greatest undercover reporter. But what I found may surprise you dear reader as it wasn’t all bad, despite the reports. Firstly, the staff that I met there were lovely, friendly and helpful. Secondly, yes the conditions for the cats are not ideal at the moment, but they are building a block for a cattery with indoor and outdoor facilities and room for a veterinary clinic. Thirdly, it was quite a cold day when I visited and was heartened to hear that the one poor lonely rabbit (which apparently is unusual, there are often more than one waiting for a home) was being kept in a heated area rather than unheated. I almost took this furry angora boy bunny home with me. Rabbits are free to adopt, and very straightforward. You have to produce ID and sign some paperwork.

If you are looking for a cat then please consider going to Natura Parc first and seeing if any of them catch your eye. There were a couple that really stood out for me, including this beautiful grey girl, and a very chatty ginger tabby boy! Adoption of the cats and dogs is relatively cheap. They are chipped and vaccinated and provided with a passport for 30€ per cat and 56€ per dog. The pound is open Monday to Saturday. Call for opening times 871 719 772. Natura Parc is close to the village of Santa Eugenia, on Ctra Palma Sineu 15.7km. The cattery isn’t so easy to find, but go to the main building and ask for directions.

Medication exchange

If you use Facebook then I urge you to join this new group online which is coordinating the exchange of medications for animals. It is being overseen by several vets and a chemist and is a great initiative in these times of financial crisis. Well done to the originators! Search for: Intercambio de medicina para animales solo en Mallorca. Perhaps you have some medications that you no longer need which you could donate?

Come!

If you want to work on some obedience skills with your dog then get yourself over to the Dogs For U workshop this Sunday. You can book by calling 626 919 312. This time it will be a “Recall Workshop: Learn how to motivate your dog to come back when called”.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

There’s a big gang of animal lovers living in Palma who have no real chance of adopting a pet because of their work: they work on superyachts and during a contract they can be onboard for months on end and far, far from home. Which is why when they get the opportunity they seem to jump at the chance to help out the animals. Recently they have started to go to Son Reus (just north of Palma) on Saturday mornings to walk the animals that are held there. I caught up with Ashleigh Stuart-White who gave me a report on their outing. “Yesterday was a good day at Son Reus with lots of people volunteering to walk the dogs. I found it to be better than what I had expected; the workers were helpful, and it seemed to be quite clean. The dogs were also mostly friendly, and socialised well! What saddened me was the fact that the bigger dogs were less likely to be walked. It was a positive experience on the whole, and I will definitely go back.”

It seems likely that if the animals are not walked by volunteers then they don’t get much exercise or interaction at all. The dogs can spend up to three months in the cages at Son Reus, and if they are not adopted or claimed then they are put down to make room for more. If you want to get even more involved then you can contact a new group called Asociacion Peluditos de Son Reus either via email: Peluditosdesonreus@gmail.com or by phone on 619 366 518. This new association is trying to work with Son Reus to improve the standards of care for the animals by offering the assistance of volunteers and also to try to facilitate the adoption system which can be prohibitively expensive by offering assistance with the costs of medication.

Ieuan Jury (pictured) has been getting involved with the Association: “Me? I’m just an animal lover who was sucked in by the system at the pound and wanted to help out and spend some time with the dogs. So I started offering on the Facebook Group: Palma Yacht Crew to take people with me to help walk some of the dogs. Somehow it has snowballed and the association found me and now I’m trying to help them to help get dogs off of “Death Row”. We saved our first dog last week, Tanke.” It looks like this new association is really trying to build a good relationship with the Director at Son Reus and Pet Project wishes them all the luck in the world! If you want to get involved then do what Ieuan and Ashleigh did and just volunteer. Thanks to Ashleigh and Ieuan for the great pictures, it certainly seemed to be a really positive and fun morning.

Or if you prefer to go it on your own, you can go directly to Son Reus and walk the dogs there. Just pick a dog you want to take out, go to a worker (they wear blue jackets) and ask them to bring you the dog. And then you can walk them the dog on a big grass area. You can find Son Reus at Carretera Soller km 8.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

It may still be January, but the dreaded processionary caterpillars are already hatching out due to our mild winter weather.

One conscientious pet owner came into CalviaVet last week asking for advice on how to protect her cats from the perils of the hairy pests.

“I know someone whose dog had to have half its tongue removed after it ate a processionary caterpillar,” she explained, “so I thought I should come in and get advice directly I saw the first one in my garden.

“The caterpillars are particularly dangerous for dogs because they are more likely to try and eat them than cats are,” Dr. Juan Fernandez agreed, “but they can also cause serious skin problems for cats. Although there are pills that can be given after a pet has encountered a processionary caterpillar, these take time to work. Some animals can experience serious allergic reactions, so it’s important to call immediately you see your pet has been affected, then it can receive an intravenous injection of cortisone as quickly as possible.”

Another increased danger for some pets caused by our mild weather, is mosquitoes. These carry the devastating disease of Leishmania which annually infects hundreds of Majorcan dogs.

“Leishmania is hardly known of in Northern Europe, so many expatriates don’t realise that they need to protect their dog,” Dr. Anna Pink of CalviaVet confirmed. “It is a tropical disease spread by the tiny sand fly mosquito and works in a similar way to an autoimmune disease. It can affect all the organs of the body, but is often first picked up from skin eruptions or fast growing nails. Like malaria, it can lie dormant within an animal for a time before recurring in flare-ups.

“It’s impossible to over-stress how important it is to protect dogs from Leishmania; ironically everyone is aware that their pet should have an annual rabies vaccination, even though the island is rabies-free, but many don’t know Leishmania exists, yet it is common throughout the island,” Dr. Pink said.

Other pet diseases spread by mosquitos include Heartworm, but this is rare on the island and to date the only reported cases have been in the North.

Ticks can infect animals with Anaplasmosis which causes blood clotting problems and joint pain, but this is curable with a special antibiotic.

Our unnaturally warm weather this winter has also caused the flea population to continue breeding. “Our sales of products which rid your pet and home of fleas are usually far less after November … but not this year!” Dr Pink commented.

While we may all be enjoying the clear blue skies and balmy temperatures, this long Indian summer means we need to be abnormally vigilant that our furry friends don’t fall foul of a non-dormant insect population. It is the time of year when many pet owners love rambling through the woods and mountains of our beautiful island, but we already need to keep an eye out for caterpillars and take precautions against mosquitos to keep them safe.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-home a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. Thanks to Calvia Vet for their contribution this week. If you want to help produce Pet Project, write an article or contribute photos then get in touch petprojectmallorca@gmail.com or find us on Facebook or online www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

Following our mention about the puppies that were born in a storm from last week’s PP, here are some more photos by popular demand! They are a GSD cross and were born in November 2014, so they are now ready to go to good homes via the association Dogs For U. Peanut is the smallest one of the litter a right little cutie full of fun. Storm is the eldest born first. Gina loves to crawl up on your lap for a cuddle. They are all gorgeous and full of fun. You can call Angie Cain on 633471509 for more information and to make an appointment to go and see the puppies.

URGENT HELP NEEDED
PP received this desperate plea from June, the founder of Arc. “Urgent help needed for one of the cats at the Mallorca Arc sanctuary – little Millie. She is around two years old and has gone into depression – she has stopped eating which is affecting her liver – even at the vet’s she is not making any progress – she has been put on a drip to try and help but she needs someone to take her in her arms and cuddle her constantly – she finds life with other cats very difficult and is definitely a people cat.

She needs a very special person to help her and give her the will to live. Please, please if you cannot help her please let other people know, we do not want to lose her and are desperate to find someone who can help her and give her the will to live again.”

We were then sent this update on Monday,

“Our little Millie is beginning to eat and is much more alert now. We have had a couple of enquiries about her but unfortunately from people with other pets. The vet has been trying to socialise her with a selection of different cats, even those still ‘under’ have been put into the room with her but her reaction to any cats has been to hiss and hide, retreating into a corner no matter what until the cat in question has been removed from her little room. Therefore, I am putting out an urgent call to everyone, if you cannot take her can you please share her story and pray that her new owner is out there just waiting to take her into their arms and give her the love and care she so desperately needs right now. THANK YOU” You can get in touch via junehaigh14@yahoo.com or visit www.arc-mallorca.org.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-home a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com.

by petprojectmallorca

When Dogs For U answered a call from a pound to take in a female German Shepherd no one knew that the female had baggage. EIGHT puppies in fact. Once the dog, Kira had been settled in to her new foster home she was taken to the vets where they confirmed that yes, she was indeed pregnant. Her puppies were born on November 4th during a very dramatic storm. Seven of the puppies survived. They have been raised in a foster home in Alcudia by the lovely Angie Cain. Now they are seeking homes. Four have already been successful and there are three puppies left who need families: all girls. If you would like to enquire about adoption then contact Dogs For U on www.dogsforu.org email: kontakt@dogsforu.org or phone: 971 503 832 or 637 242 228

Furry wishes for the New Year

Dear Kindly Human, if you are thinking of inviting a new pet into your home please look in the local rescue centres before splashing out in a pet shop. There are hundreds of us waiting for someone to come along and fall in love – young, old and of all shapes, sizes and species. Here are the addresses and contact details of some of the main centres on the island: Sociedad Protectora de Animales y Plantas, Cami Nou s/n, Palma tel: 971 470060; Son Reus, Camino de Son Reus, Palma Tel: 971 438695; Feliz Animal Andratx Tel: 676366814; Llucmajor Dog Pound, Cami Son Gual; Inca Dog Pound, Carretera Inca-Llubi Km 1.4 Tel: 971 144532; Centro Canino International Tel: 689584371; SOS Animal Calvia Tel: 971 606467; Ben Tractats Campos Tel: 639139680; First Aid Animals Felanitx, Jaime I 76, Tel: 618725166; Pro Animales Mallorca Tel: 636996444.

Dearest Owner, we know you love us with all your heart, but please help us to weight-watch. We have zero will-power so we look to you for help to fight the flab. If we are beginning to bulge please stop giving us treats or titbits from the table. We may look at you with eyes that make us difficult to resist, but it’s so much harder to remove extra kilos once they’ve been put on, than it is to cut down on a few calories before we have a visible problem. We want to be fit and enjoy our lives with you for as many years as possible so please help us to stay healthy by not giving in to our every imploring gaze.

Please let us know what you want. We haven’t got very large brains and we are easily ruled by instincts which can, at times, be unacceptable in a human household. However, most of us can be trained and then we will take great pleasure in pleasing you by behaving as you would like. The younger we are the easier it is to train us, but, even if we are a few years old, some training is possible. There are training classes available in many languages on the island, ask your friends or put a question out on Facebook or AngloInfo so we can train together.

Feeling itchy is horrid. If you see us scratching please don’t delay too long before checking out the source of our discomfort. There have been a monumental number of fleas around this autumn because the weather has been so warm, but we might have ear mites or a fungal infection, dermatitis or a food allergy. Itchy problems can usually be cured by a vet and, although we may not enjoy going, we are so much more comfortable afterwards.

You mean everything t us; you are the centre of our world; you feed us, groom us, care for us and we love you with our whole being. Every time you leave us we miss you, so please don’t leave us alone for too long. We try to understand when you need to go away, but please try and leave us with people who will love us like you do.

There are a number of diseases we need to be protected against. In addition to rabies there’s a horrible disease called Leishmania which affects dogs and is rampant on the island where it is spread by mosquitos. We have no way of reminding you when we should have our injections, and to be honest we might not want to remind you, so in our own interest would you be kind enough to ask the animal doctor when we should visit for our vaccinations and put the date in your diary.

Four legs aren’t always better than two – especially in a car. We can get thrown around very violently even with moderate braking or acceleration so please would you provide us with a seatbelt or a travelling box to ride in, that way we’re not a nuisance and it’s safer for everyone.

Thank you to all the animal loving humans on the island and here’s to a full year of tail-wagging, purring, snuffling and jumping around for joy – Happy 2015

(With thanks to Calvia Vet for their contribution).

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

This handsome boy Cooper is looking for a new home, somewhere with company and space to run around to stretch his long legs. He was taken into foster care after spending too much time in a small flat with very little human company, where his sadness reflected in a loss of weight and terrible coat condition.

Cooper is a German Shepherd and Labrador mix of around 1.5 years. He is now thriving in his foster home where he has plenty of human and canine contact. He loves nothing better than to lie at your feet hogging the fire or running about with a tennis ball to catch and carry around.

Cooper is a bouncy and full of fun dog, a “wager” with a happy tail, but he also has a calm and friendly nature. Being such a happy dog he doesn’t react to other ‘not so happy’ dogs, he just goes about his business. He loves to play but doesn´t need to be constantly entertained and just likes to know you are there or nearby. He is desperate to learn his place in the family and tries hard to stick to the rules so given some consistency in training, he would become a great family member. He´s food and ball motivated, so training should be easy. Cooper can be left on his own in the house for a short time with no problems, he is not destructive in anyway and doesn’t show any signs of being a ‘chewer’.

Cooper was brought up with cats and children in the home and is great with both. He is just waiting for his special family to come along and love him. Could that be you?

(Cooper will be castrated and tested for leishmaniasis prior to rehoming).

There was great news from Christina Kastin this week when she announced that another municipality has granted dogs and their owners the rights to go on certain beaches. This time it is in the Can Picafort area where there will now be a ““pet friendly”, all year doggie beach; Na Patana”. Christina told me that “officially, dogs need to be on the lead until April 2015 (like a testing period) but after that they will include in their regulations that dogs can run freely in that area.”

Well done to Christina for her continued persistence in making this a possibility for dogs in Majorca. You can find out more at Christina’s website which is http://www.guide4dogs.com/

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

This week’s Pet Project is brought to you courtesy of the tooth fairy!

Local resident Izzy Newman’s dog Diffa, on hearing he had won the Smile of the Month competition.

There are a huge range of chews and treats on the market to help keep pet breath sweet, but brushing is still very important.

When even the cat has dog breath it’s clear something needs to be done, yet dental care for pets is frequently overlooked by owners.
Although there are a range of dental chews on the market, in an ideal world pet owners need to get up close and personal with a regular routine of daily brushing. However, if your pet isn’t accustomed to someone rubbing around its teeth and gums from a young age, this grooming process can be easier said than done. If it’s not possible to brush your pet’s teeth regularly, it’s important to provide a mostly dry food diet plus plenty of things to chew on. Chewing releases more saliva which has a very cleansing effect on the mouth.
A proper veterinary scale and polish is top of the list for getting rid of bad breath and providing a clean start for new and better pet hygiene habits.
Oral pain in dogs and cats can be caused by abscesses, rotten teeth or nasal fistulas among other things. Cats have such high pain thresholds that they can be in agony before owners notice clear signs of toothache. For this reason most vets will give a quick mouth check when they see your pet for its annual vaccinations, enabling them to nip some painful problems in the bud.
“Poor dental hygiene can also be responsible for heart and kidney disease,” Dr. Anna Pink of Calvia Vets explained. “This occurs when bacteria from the mouth enters the blood stream and settles on heart valves or kidney tissue. It’s hard to overstate how important mouth care is.”
While twice-daily flossing may be a little OTT, regular tooth and gum brushing plus the right diet can spell an end to a home full of killer halitosis and contribute to a far healthier pet.

Thanks to Calvia Vet for their help with this article.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at http://www.petprojectmallorca.com

by petprojectmallorca

In August Arc Animales received an email from an elderly couple in Pollensa who had a ‘kitten saturation’ situation and desperately need their help!

They had contacted both Pollensa and Alcudia rescue centres who said they were too full to take any.

It seems the couple had started feeding three female abandoned cats late last year. Then the inevitable happened – first lot of kittens were born on the 6th March and the second on the 31st March (on their terrace) then another litter was born in July somewhere on the finca. They had been feeding them all and got themselves into a situation where they could not cope, in particular financially: in all there were 23 cats and kittens.

In addition the couple were in the procees of selling their house and moving back to the UK but they were desperate that the cats and kittens find new homes and be safe.

There were three adult females (needing castration) 14 older kittens from the 1st and 31st of March (needing castration) (Four of which they would keep themselves)

6 young kittens which had only just started eating solid kitten food (castration will be needed later). This meant that there were three adult cats, nine older kittens of around 6 months and 6 young kittens that needed rehoming. It also meant there were sixteen cats that needed castrating immediately and seven would need castrating in a matter of months.

Arc Animales got in touch with Baldea (who were featured a couple of weeks ago in Pet Project) and working with Ana Aranda Lindsay it was arranged for the cats and older kittens to be castrated in the Baldea mobile vet unit.

17 cats and kittens have been castrated. It’s been a fantastic team effort between Baldea, Katzenzuflucht and Arc Animales.

Arc Animales are now looking for forever homes for the six little kittens – growing by the minute – that were too young to castrate. There are four little boys, Micah, Sima, Malin, Sujay and two girls, Pearl and Pippa. They are all between 8 and 12 weeks old.

Malin

Micah

Pearl

Pippa

Sima

Sujay

Please spread the word about these kittens whose start in life was not the best but, with your help, their futures could be.

Every week Pet Project tries to help or re-house a homeless animal in Majorca. Pet Project is supported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the PR business Phoenix Media Mallorca and several professional and amateur writers and photographers around the island. You can get in touch with Pet Project at www.petprojectmallorca.com If you want to help with this column or send information then please do to petprojectmallorca@gmail.com